Mobile base for mining machines



May 6, 1958 J. F. JoY

v MOBILE BASE FOR MINING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. l. 194'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 6, 1958 Y J.. F. JOY' 2,833,531

MOBILE BASE FOR MINING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 1. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ing steering of the base.

Unite MOBILE BASE FDR MINING MACHINES Joseph F. Joy, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Joy Manufactoring Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation 4of Pennsylvania t This invention relates to mining machines and lmore particularly to an improved mobile base structure for such a machine whereby the latter may be fed over the mine oor and steered either to the right or left.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved supporting and mobility providing'means for a mining machine. Another object is to provide a mobile base structure for moving the mining machine over the oor ofv a mine and for steering the machine. A further object is to provide an improved Creeper or walking base structure. A still further object is to provide an improved walking base structure having improved means for electmore fully appear.

This application is a 4division of my copending application Serial No. 725,950 tiled February 1, 1947, and

These and other objects and f -advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter States Patent O since issued as Patent No. 2,801,093 dated July 30, 1957 In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a mining lmachine having a mobile base structure constructed in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention, showing the machine in operating position in a mine.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mining machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the mining machine with parts arranged in a compact manner for movement about the mine, and showing parts of the mobile base in horizontal section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. i

Figs. 5 and 6 are somewhat diagrammatic side views with parts of the mobile base shown in vertical section, illustrating the manner of operation of the base.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan View illustrating the manover the mine floor. i

Fig. S is a diagrammatic'view illustrating the hydrauhc fluid system.

In this illustratwe embodiment ofthe invention an 1mproved mobile base, generally designated l., is shown em- ,bodied in a coal mining machine, generally designated 2.

The mining machine may assume various forms butV is vherein preferably of the longwall, oortype slidable on 'its bottom over the oor of a mine.

Evidently the mobile base may be incorporated in machines of other types. g The mining machine 2 herein comprises, as shown in Figspl and 2, a main frame or body 3 which supports, v at its forward end, a pair of universally adjustable, coactbottom base member or oor engaging skid 6 resting'upon and slidable in any direction over the mine floor. Carried by' relatively movable parts of this sliding base or skid ner of turning or steering the base during its movement working face.

f'ice fluid cylinders 10 suitably fixed to the base and projecting upwardly along the sides of the machine body, and the latter has lateral lugs 11 suitably attached to thesek cylinders near their upper ends. Reciprocable in the cylinders are pistons 12 having their piston rods 13l projecting upwardly through the top cylinder heads and carryingat their upper ends, roof-engaging abutments 14. 1 The rear roof jacks 8 have vertical double acting cylinders 15 (Figs. 3 and 4) suitably ixed to longitudinally elongated, relatively narrow, horizontal slides 16 (Fig. 5) constituting parts of the base and guided in parallel longitudinally extending guideways 17, herein formed at the sides of the main part of the base at the outer sides of the machine body. Secured to the bottoms of the rear portions of these slides are floor-engaging abutrnents 18. The cylinders 15 contain reciprocable pistons 19 having their piston rods 20 projecting upwardly through the top cylinder heads and carry, at their upper ends, roof-engaging abutments 21. The jack pistons 12 and 19 are movable upwardly under the influence of pressure iluid in the cylinders 10 and 15 to bring the a-butments 14 and 21 firmly into engagement with the mine roof.

Extending longitudinally at the sides of the base member 6 are horizontal jacks of feed rams 22 comprising 'horizontal double acting uid cylinders 23 (see Fig. 3)

arranged above and parallel with the guideways 17 and suitably fixed to the base member 6. Reciprocable in these cylinders are pistons 24 having their piston rods 23 projecting rearwardly through the rear cylinder heads and suitably rigidly attached at 24 to the vertical cylinders 15 of the rear roof jacks 3.

When the rear roof jacks are held in rm engagement with the mine roof, with the bottom abutments 18 held lirmly in engagement with the mine tloor, and the front roof jacks 7 arereleased, the feed cylinders 23 may be moved forwardly under the influence of pressure nid relative to the then-stationary pistons 24 thereby to move the base member 6 and the mechanism carried thereby, forwardly over the mine oor toward the working face. When the front roof jacks 7 are held in rm engagement with the mine roof and the rear roof jacks 8 are released, the pistons 24 may be moved forwardly under the influence of pressure lluid relative to the then-stationary cylinders 23 thereby to move the rear roof jacks again into their foremost position. When they slides 16 are in their extended position (Fig. 5) and are held stationary by the rear roof jacks 8, and the front roof jacks 7 are released, the feed cylinders may be moved rearwardly under the iniluence of pressure uid relative to the then-stationary pistons 24, moving the base member 6 and the mechanism carried thereby, rearwardly in a direction away from the From the foregoing, it will be evident that the mining machine may be walked step by step either rearwardly or forwardly by suitable operations of the front and rear roof jacks and the horizontal feed jack.

Now .referring to the hydraulicl fluid system, shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8, for supplying uid under pressure to the various hydraulic cylinders of the machine, it will be observed that a conventional motor driven pump 25 has its intake connected by a conduit 26 to a reservoir 27 which preferably contains a liquid.- The v pump discharge is connected by a conduit28 to the inlet 3 is `'connected -by `a return conduit 30 `back to the reservoir, The valve mechanism has a valve box 31 provided with parallelbores for respectively `receiving control valves `32, `33, 3)4, 35 and 36, e'achhaving a suitable 'operating handle. The bores containing the valves` 32 and 33 are respectively connected iby pairs of conduits 37, 38 and 39, 40 to the opposite e'nds of the uid cylinders 15 respectively of the "rear jacks 8; The bores containing 'the valves 34 and 35 are respectively connected bypairs of conduits `41, '42`and 43, 44 'to the opposite endsof Athe horizontalfeed 'cylinders 23 respectively. The bore `containing the'valve 36 is connected by conduits 45 and 46 to the 'opposite endsof the fluid cylinders 1`0 of the front roof jacks 7. It will 'thus be seen that "the rear jack and feed cylinder at one sidebf the machine' and the rear jack and feed cylinder at the opposite side of the machine have independency of control, thereby to provide greater flexibility in the steering ofthe machine, as will later become apparent.

When the machineis located at the working face, as 'shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cutting devices 4 and 'the drilling and dislodging mechanism may be operated 'to `cut the mineral of the'solid mine vein "and to dislodge the mineral in manners fully disclosed in the copending application above referred. to, andwhen it is desired to advance the machine the uid cylinders `of `the rear roof jacks 8 may be operated, under the control ofthe valves 32 and 33, thereby to hold the slides 16 in ja stationary position with the bottom abutments 18 firmly engaging the mine oor. Thev feed cylinders '23 may then be concurrently operated, under 'the control of valves 34 and 35, to feed the base `6 and the cutting and dislodging mechanism carried thereby,`b`odilytoward the working'face to feed the cutting devices into the mineral `and the fluid cylinders 10 of the front roof jacks 7 may then be operated, under the control of the valve 36,

to engage the front jacks with the mine roof thereby to hold the machine in a stationary position; and the cutting and dislodging devices may then again be operated to cut and dislodge the mineral. `While the machine is held `stationary by the front roof jacks 7, the feed cylinders 23 may be operated to move the slides 16 together with the released roof jacks 8, again into their foremost position, so that the mining machine may again be fed forwardly. Y

During tramming of the machine about the mine, 'the drilling and dislodging mechanism 5 is fully retracted andthe kerf cutting devices may be moved into the compact 'folded position shown in Fig. 3 and the front land `rear roof jacks 7 'and 8 andthe horizontal feed'jacks 22 'may be operated in themanner above described, to advance the machine stepby step over the mine oor. When steering of the machineeitherto the right or left is -desired, the rearroof'j'aeks and the feed jacks may be o independently operated to "eiectsliding ofthe base member 6 laterally in one direction or 'the otheras desired.

As shown 'diagrammatically in Fig. `7 thesteering of the fmachinetoward the left vas the machine'is advanced is shown, and during this steering operation only `the rear roof jack 8, shown 'in the nearerleft hand Vend of the machine, is held in firm^engagernent with `the mine roof with theother rear roof jack and the front roof` jacks held released. hDuring'this operation the far feed jack "22 is maintained inoperative and the near feed jack `22 "is'operated, under thecontroliofthevalve 35, to move the near feed cylinder 23 forwardly under the influence of 'pressure uid thereby to feed the; base member together with thecutting and dislodging mechanisms carried thereby, forwardly over the mine `oor iand during this opera- "tion'as thejbase member is advanced, `it is `slued or swung vlaterally toward the left'to bring the parts into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 7. The near rear roof Ajack S is then released and together with the'associated slide 16 n isgfed `forwardly and thereafter thejack may be extended i"int`o""fr`m engagement 'withthe roof. These operations `may vbe successively repeated thereby to feed the machine `and turned horizontally either to the right or to the 'left as desired.

As a result of this invention, an improved mobile base is provided for a mining machine whereby the maqchine `may be walked step by step and may be steered in 'an improved manner. By the provision of the improved roof and feed jack structure and the separate control valves for the feed jacks and the rear roof jacks, not only may the machine be fed along a straight path but may also readily be steered along a curved `patheither to the right or left as desired. The improved ,base structure embodying .the separate slides and gtiideways at the opposite sides of the base together with the associated roof and feed jacks, provide a mobile base which is not only extremely exible in operation but is also relatively simple and rugged in design, well adapted for its intended purpose. These and other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention Vmay assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration `and that the inventionmay be vmodied and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of `the appended claims.

What i claim as new and desire to secureby yLetters Patent is:

. l. In an apparatus of thecharacter'disclosed, a walking base for advancing and steering the apparatus, said base having a bottornskid plate which receives the weight of the apparatus, said skid plate providing parallel longitudinally extending guideways at thesides thereof, narrow `elongated slides received in said guideways respectively,

a pair of upright roof jacks mounted at the forward porton'of said `skid plate at the sides `of `the latterya` pair of upright rear roof jacks respectively secured `to the rear portions of said slides for separately holding the latter stationary and parallel feed jacks extending longitudinally at the sides of said skid plate andoperatively connected to said rear roof jacks and `to `said skid plate for moving said slides along said guideways when said skid plate is held stationary by said front roof jacks, said feed jacks when said slides are `held stationary by said rear jacks effecting advance of said skid plate relative to said slides, means .for controlling said front jacks to apply or release thev same, and means for separately effecting operation of said rear roof jacks and Asaidifeed jacks -while said frontl jacks are released to effect turning of of the apparatus and adapted to `rest upon and move in any direction over the mine oor, said skid `plate -providing parallel longitudinally extending guideways at the sides thereof, narrow elongated floor engaging slidesreceived in said guideways, a pair of upright front :roof jacks mounted on said skid plate at the sides at the forward portion thereof, a pair of upright rear roof jacks respectively secured to the rear portions of said islides for securing the latter in stationary position with respect to the floor, and parallel feed Ajacks extending longitudinally at the sides of said skid plateand operatively connected to said rear roof jacks and said `skid plate for plate is held stationary by said front 'roof-jacks,tsaid feed jacks when said slides are held stationary bysaid rear jacks effecting advance of said skid plate relative to said slides, said rear roof jacks and said feed jacks having power operating means, and separate controls for said power operating means for said rear roof jacks and said feed jacks for effecting operation of said rear roof and feed jacks at one side of the machine independently of said rear roof and feed jacks at the other side thereof.

3. In an apparatus of the character disclosed, a base member for receiving the weight of the apparatus and movable over the oor of a mine, said base member providing parallel longitudinally extending guideways at the sides thereof,rnarrow elongated slides received in said guideways respectively, front roof jacks mounted on said base member at the sides thereof, rear roof jacks connected to the rear ends of said slides respectively, and parallel longitudinally extending feed jacks operatively connected to said base member and to said slides for advancing said base member relative to said slides when the latter are held stationary by said rear roof jacks and for advancing said slides relative to said base mem- 6 ber when the latter is held stationary by said front roof jacks, said rear roof jacks and said feed jacks having power operating means, and separate controls for said power operating means for said rear roof jacks and said yfeed jacks for operating said rear roof and feed jacks at one side'of the base member independently of the rear roof and feed jacks at the other side kthereof to effect lateral 'turning of said base member as the latter is advanced.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,159 Mavor a Jan. 5, 1915 1,639,050 Morgan Aug. 16, 1927 1,704,866 Morgan Mar. 12, 1929 2,062,657 Joy Dec. 1, 1936 2,261,160 Joy Nov. 4, 1941 2,420,755 Mavor May 20, 1947 

